Story Archives 2011

More than 20 years ago I lived in Waipahu Hawaii. I’d arrived from San Francisco with my dad and stepmom. We stayed in the rear of Mr. Gutierrez’s house—my father’s father in law. Mr. Gutierrez didn’t say much—when it was time to eat, he’d say…eat…if he needed you he’d say…come.  Often times he'd call out: come, eat!  When he wasn’t cutting hair part-time, he tended to his garden. He grew upo squash, malunggay and other vegetables. There were also mango and guava trees that shaded me as I reached up to yank the gifts of their branches. Sometimes I’d be alone with Mr. Gutierrez while my dad and stepmom were looking for work. We’d sit in front of the TV in silence. Then, all of a sudden, he’d break into laughter. I often didn’t know what he was laughing about. His laughter was like a song with a long drawn melody. His laugh made me laugh. We didn’t exchange many words but we shared laughter.

I didn’t know about Mr. Gutierrez’s past, didn’t know about his life during World War II, how he’d survived the Bataan Death March. He never spoke of it, I never asked. I just waited for his laughter, waited for the fragrance of his dishes, made from the vegetables he grew. I can still smell it.

Back in San Francisco I see them, Filipino World War II Veterans…Veteranos. They walk slowly or get around on motorized scooters with mounted American flags. I see their large sunglasses as the sun rises in the sky. Their caps read: WORLD WAR II VETERAN. They congregate downtown. They do their shopping, access community resources such as the Veterans Equity Center (http://www.vetsequitycenter.org) and gather amongst themselves, observing and participating in open air chess games on Market Street, watching the movement of pieces on a board, a game that is a metaphor for battle. But for Filipino World War II Veterans, the fight for full benefits has been a game in which dwindling numbers of aging veterans are pawns in a game of bureaucrats that have not done right in honoring their service and sacrifice. Filipino World War II veterans and their supporters from across the United States will lobby congress, April 13th and 14th, demanding full recognition and benefits to veteranos and their families. HR 21--authored by Rep. Jackie Speier, D. San Francisco/San Mateo—The Veterans Fairness Act of 2011—is what Filipino World War II veterans and their supporters are pushing for. The legislation is an attempt to restore full equity of all benefits to Filipino World War II veterans, their widows and children. The bill also seeks to expand the criteria of eligibility to include all military records, not just the official records known as the Missouri List—a reference of US Military service of Filipinos during World War II—a list that was lost in a 1973 fire. The list included army personnel from 1912-1960.

The Speier bill is the latest in a long fight for justice for Filipino Veteranos, whose numbers are an estimated 50,000—40,000 in the Philippines and the remaining in the US. The Recission Act of 1946 classified the US Military services of Filipinos—who fought under the US armed forces in the Far East--as inactive, taking away their benefits as American veterans. Of the 66 nationalities that served the US during World War II, the Filipinos are the only group to not receive full military benefits. In 2008, congress granted Filipino World War II Veterans a one-time lump sum payment, on condition of a waiver that would free the US from any future claims to benefits such as a lifetime monthly pensions. 42 percent of all lump sum claimants to date have been denied. Joint Resolution 6 was introduced in the California Assembly in February asking president Obama to support HR 210. Resolution 6 supports restoring $1,500 monthly benefits for life—benefits that are given to all World War II veterans. It also urges providing benefits to the widows and children of veterans.

I think of Mr. Gutierrez, who still lives in Waipahu, still tending to his garden. I visited him not long ago. He gave me Malunggay from his garden. I watched his hands pull the ripe vegetables. I watched his brown feet dig into the earth that is a part of him. I wondered if flowers sometimes feel like barbed wire in his hands. He still didn’t say much. He didn’t have to. His hands, his laughter—his garden—is the fragrance of his life.

(c) 2011 Tony Robles

Editors Note: The following is a story by Leroy about his experience with profiling by po'lice while riding his adult tricycle in Berkeley as a visibly disabled Black man. Leroy's story is just one example of many thousands of examples of profiling by Po'Lice officers in cities across Amerikkka. Many of us peoples of color and poor peoples in the US face these acts of harassment by po'lice for the sole act of walking, bike, adult tricycle-riding, shopping, driving or residing while Black, Brown, Poor or Disabled...

 On April 3^rd 2011 around 2pm Leroy Moore  was on his adult three-wheel tricycle coming down University Ave. in Berkeley CA at the corner of University Ave and MLK on the sidewalk. 

A Berkeley police officer approached him and said "get off the bike!" and Leroy said "why" after the officer repeated himself three times. 

Then the officer asked, “Do you know why you have been stopped?”  Leroy said, "because I’m Black?!" 

Then the officer tried to pull Leroy off the adult tricycle. Leroy got off and walked the adult tricycle around the corner where he saw another Black man against the wall with his bike.  

The officer’s partner, an Asian woman officer, took Leroy’s i.d. to run it while the White cop was finishing with the other guy.  The officer, wanted the other profiled Black man to sign a paper i.e. an citation but he refused.  The White cop said sign it or I have to book you for riding on the sidewalk. 

He signed it and left.  The White cop turned to Leroy and asked, “you said no while you were on your bike!  Leroy said “no I said why!”  The officer said, “why is no!” Then Leroy said, “why is why!”  

The officer asked, “where do you live and do you live alone?” The officer asked that question like five times.  Leroy said his address and said he lives alone.  The officer asked, “you know there is no riding on the sidewalk and a lot of people are reporting that they have been hit by bikes on the sidewalk.”   Leroy didn’t say anything. 

The officer looked at Leroy's three-wheel adult tricycle and said “usually people ride in the street.  Next time take the back streets, stay off the main streets.” 

The Asian police officer appeared with Leroy's id gave it back and they let Leroy go on his way with a warning..

(Photos By David Elliott Lewis and Friends)

Dawn : January 25, 1954
Dusk : April 3, 2011, 7:30 PM

From Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Born on January 25 1954, Salvador Guzman studied at SF City College, and lived in San Francisco for over 20 years,

until he left us on Sunday, and made a peaceful transition at Maitri Hospice in San Francisco, after a long battle with HIV , (Salvador found out he was positive with the virus in 1994), at the age of 56, surrounded with loving family and friends.

Here is something he posted on his Facebook,
on which he last wrote on March 13, 2011....

which reflects his HUGE loving Spirit, so long Gentle Friend....

"I want to say…

"I want to say that life is very beautiful

I want to say that everything you ask you have in big quantities

I want to say that no one is responsible for anyone

I want to say if you are in bad you collect the worse from your surround

I want to say that if you create some good you get better from your surround

I want to say that everything you wish, everything comes to your hands

I want to say that God is our Pastor

And I want to finish saying that whenever you need him he’s in our hearts…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Salvador taught me the healing power of Forgiveness, at a time I was choking on old resentments, and the power of unconditional love.
I remain eternally grateful, until we meet again...

In Unity & Respect
mesha Monge-Irizarry
one of Salvador many blessed friends....

Editors note: If u knew Salvador or can help a poverty scholar who walked softly on the earth-  Family and friends need your support. The Cremation School wants the $310 upfront to proceed with the cremation of our friend. An account has not been set up yet, but temporarily, cash, a check or a money order can be sent to 2940 16th Street Suite #209, SF CA 94103, making sure to write "Salvador Guzman Memorial Fund" on the check, and make it out to Salvador Durable Power of Attorney, 'James Keys'
, ..

Elder Poverty & Disability Scholar Speaks on & Teaches on Squatting as a Movement of Resistance

Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted In criminal law, rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse against another person without that person's consent.

POOR Magazine the publication arts and education project was started in 1996 by an indigenous, landless mother and daughter who struggled with extreme poverty, incarceration and criminalization in the US. POOR Magazine, the organization, is a poor people led/indigenous people led non-profit, grassroots, arts organization dedicated to providing revolutionary media access, arts, education and solutions from youth, adults and elders in poverty across Pachamama.

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In poor magazine we believe in reclaiming our roots, culture and indigenous languages we use the Spanish and English languages at all time, even do at the end they are colonizers languages,Linguistic Domination is the idea that only English and Spanish are the dominant languages.

You can’t stay here no more
me being homeless again at thirtyfour
my sister let me move in for four days
than secretly kicked me out the door
one morning leaving I said
“I’ll see you later sister.”
She yelled “You can’t stay here no more”
She was refused by my payee for extra $
So I had to go
Now she say I can stay days weekly
Days maybe even four
RAM

 “From 1980, until this past year we did’nt have  the ‘Sit-Lie.” Ordinance”, says Bob Offer-Westort of  Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco Ca.
   Portland Oregon had four ‘Sit-Lie’ laws over the past decade”, he continues.  “The hatred of the homeless is really what this will become, this will lead to warrants which will block you for getting housing [in the futire]”.

Now politicians and businesses are trying to implement the ‘Sit-Lie Ordinance’ in Berkeley, Ca. The Sit-Lie Ordinance is going to appear on the next ballet mimicking Prop N and Prop O. Prop N and Prop O were set up in ’94 for drug dealers.Now it  would mean  getting rid of homeless people from their streets.

Teague Gonzalez announces “There will be 10,000 unemployed people in  downtown Berkeley, she continued, “
So with our country now in another recession, no jobs, no money, para las pobre, no honey. Now our government legalizing locking up people for being homeless/poor. “If you can’t afford no doors, still you cannot rest on public floors”.
                                                         RAM
 

Growing up ,I always thought going to college was impossible for people like me,yet at that time I was only partially aware who people like me really were.With my 0.7 gpa’s and behavioral problems,the list of names that counselors,administrators,and teachers had for me grew as I went from elementary to high school.If you were to put all of the students like me,in a room you probably would get a large number of black and Hispanics,or whatever name the big headed suits are classifying us as this year.In fact in my 5th grade year,at a private school,I attended since 1st grade,they pulled a bunch of us out of the school,citing disruptive behavior,dangerous to the learning enviorment.As I looked around I saw we all shared a non white skin tone,and the seven of us were sent off,like the next destination was to be a padded room.Coming from a family that thought school was important,that incident made think school was not for minorities and whoever would listen to this crazy idea I had would be ready to send me off to that padded room I mentioned earlier.That was in the 80’s and the 90’s,so today’s non white students have much more pressure with the increasing of overcrowded classrooms at the public school level and the racist,demonic nature of standardized testing,which in my eyes is like Eugenics for the education system.In 2009 over 6 million students between the ages of 16 and 24 dropped out of high school or adult high school with 70% being black or Hispanic.Now the number is higher and the portrait is slowly gaining color and we can see that academia was not designed with non white students in mind.A lot of educators like to debate that non white students,largely black and Hispanic are not genetically capable to succeed in the classroom.In 1994,the controversial book,The Bell Curve was released.Written by the evil mad scientist Charles Murray and a now deceased Harvard psychologist Richard.J.Hammerstien.,it explores the ideas that IQ differences are genetic which result in racial differences in intelligences.Their central argument is that intelligence is mostly influenced by both genetics and enviorment and a better predictor for where someone is going to be in life.Sounds to me like these guys drunk and horny off of their own power,wanted to pay tribute to their forefathers and crafted this ill philosophy,which is currently still damaging the futures of non white children across the country,since it was a best seller and educators and institutions swear by it as the bible in dealing with minority students.This concept of IQ classism has slid it’s greasy backbone all across the board as it was reported in the Trumbull County Conservative,that the city of Dayton,Ohio and the United States Department of Justice recently lowered the testing standards on their civil servant test for police officers to ’limit the exclusionary effect of the city’s test while enabling the city to meet it’s urgent needs and identify qualified candidates through individualized interviews” says DOJ spokesperson Xochiti Hinojosa.Applicants for the civil servant test,only need to score 58% damn guys what a democratic way to let folks know how you feel about them.Talking to some homies of mine,the collective response to school, and for the matter,college is it is not a priority.Taking it even further one comrade told me that out of a group of 14 of us we know personally,none of the group he thought could not make it in college.Recently enrolled in school this years I took offense and a debate ensued.After the smoke cleared I asked him if he felt these brothas were not smart enough for college,and he said ‘ No they just don’t have the discipline”,bringing it back to where I believe I hit a sweet spot in the education system in the idea that academia was designed to disrupt and halt success in young non white children.Taking them from their original nature and reprogramming them to assimilate to fit in the culture and industry of the White Man’s world.Returning to the classroom has enlightened as well ,due to being in a class of mixed age.Seeing the instructor isolate adolescent non white students and literally set them up to fail as if it is part of the cirriculum is horrifying.There is a subjective criteria the teacher uses based on his opinions ,experiences and attitudes towards race which seem to fall into the Bell Curve type of thought.The one new female student this quarter has not been to class in weeks,the instructor says she has called in sick,my mind thinks back to the first week of class when she ran out to vomit after the teacher giving a lecture at the non white students about the use of a certain word being used in class demostrations. He chastised yelling out “You cannot use the words Nigger Niggers Niggaz with a z or me and my niggerz or any form of the word nigga, because if you say it then I should be able to say it and I cant.say it.“The blonde girl looked at me in shock and teary eyed and shouted out No,No,No,before running to the door.The teacher said “Go on tell on me,I am trying to improve bad habits before they follow in the workplace.My feelings were of disgust yet an understanding of the devil and his strategies.The word didn’t bother me Richard Pryor one of my heroes sold that word to those crackers in Hollywood when we won the grammy in 1975 for comedy album of the year for his masterpiece “That Nigger’s Crazy”. What got to me was the obvious push he was giving to students like me to “get out of where you don’t belong” Thank the Most High that I wasn’t in a quitting mood that moment,yet I witnessed how it affected the Black students including two Asian youths and a white female to a point of disconection.As the weeks follow these students have fell back and damn near disassociated themselves in some way from his class ,showing up late or not interacting and he continues to discriminate,failing them as he smiles in their faces.As he told us in a lecture,”You must discriminate,that’s how you find out who’s good and who can’t do the job.”Hearing that from the lips of the reptile motivates me to infiltrate this system and raise a stone hammer above “The Bell Curve”and smash it to unrecognizable smithereens.

Every morning my hopes run high.
I rise ready to see the sun in your
beautiful brown eyes.
We walk, we talk
the day comes, the day goes
and then at it's end the light grows dim because for now
I am apart from you until the next A.M.
when the brilliance of your light
in my life
gives me hope filled reason
to rise again.